Game apparatus



H. E. ROBINSON GAME APPARATUS 2 Sheets-Shet 1 Filed March 4, 1938 )WTORNEY H. E. ROBINSON GAME APPARATUS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 4, 1938 2 NTOR BY ATTORNEY Dec. 12, 1939.

Patented Dec. 12, 1939 2,l83,5tt

"PATENT oFFicE" GAME APPARATUS. Harold E. Robinson, Astoria, Long Island, N. Y.,

assignor to American Multi Products Corp., Long Island City, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application March'4, 1938,' Serial No. 193,861

3 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in game apparatus. I

One of the objects of this invention is to produce a game apparatus which may be used for 5 amusement, educational and other purposes, and

in general terms comprises the provision of a casing in which is rotatably mounted one or a plurality of discs adapted to be frictionally rotate'd by a manually-actuated spring-driven 10 plunger disposed tangentially of the disc or discs to engage the periphery of the disc or discs upon manual pulling and release, said discs having indications adapted. to show through a window or opening in the casing, means being provided 15 Within the casing with indication-registering means for causing registration of one of the indications with the window or opening when the disc comes to rest after such rotation.

Another object of my invention is to utilize 20 indication-registering means comprising hill and dale portions composed of alternate depressed and ridged sections and preferably composed of cooperating casing-projections and disc-depres- Y sions, star-shaped in configuration one being 25 ridged along the rays or radial lines with the highest portion of the ridge at the center and gradually diminishing in height downwardly and outwardly toward the flat surface of the'member while the cooperating member is countersunk l and more deeply depressed alongthe rays or radial lines of the star and gradually becoming of less depth outwardly and upwardly to the flat "surface of the member, the star-shaped sections being so arranged that when the disc is rotated relatively to the casing the star section on the disc will move over the star section on the casing a given number of times depending upon the impulse given to the periphery of the disc by the spring-driven plunger and these cooperating sec- 0 tions will, while permitting rotary movement of the disc, finally cause the same to be stopped in a position in which the projections on one of the members will extendinto and register with depressions in the other member whereupon an ini dication on the disc or discs will, in turn, register with the window or windows in the casing.

Another object of my invention is to utilize'a plurality of discs so that a plurality of single numbers or other indicia may be seen or viewed at the same time through a plurality of windows. Still another obiect of my invention is to ut lize, in a casing, three or more of such rotatably mounted discs and registration eements so that words may be spelled out ora card game may be played by operationv of the plunger.

.ment of the results herein Still another object of my invention is, in a device of the character specified, to provide a secondary vibrating element adapted to correct what may be called a foul, (viz: when the registration elements fail to interengage properly and thus cause the indications on the disc to be out of registration with the windows in the casing), and for this purpose I preferably apply,

within the casing in such position as to be operable by a secondary movement of the plunger, a spring-clicking device positioned within the casing above the plunger and preferably connected at one end so that pressure by the plunger will cause a clicking thereof with a consequent vibration of the casing and discs for the purpose of causing the depressed and ridged portions to move into proper cooperative engagement.

With these and other objects in view, the invention comprises the combination of members. and arrangement of parts so combined as to 00- act and co-operate with each other in the performance of the functions and the accomplishcontemplated, and comprises in one of its adaptations the species or preferred form illustrated in the acompanying drawings, in which- Fig. 1 is a View in front elevation of ,a dual dlsc amusement device embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a view of the device shown in Fig. 1,

'with half of the casing removed;

Fig. 3 is a rear elevation of one of the discs shown in Figs. 1 and 2, removed from the casing;

Fig. 4 is an elevation of one half of the casing with the discs and plunger removed therefrom; and showing a clicking member connected thereto;

Fig. 5 is a section on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1,

' looking in the direction of the arows;

Fig. 6 is a section on the 1ine. 6'6 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. '7 is a section on the line 1-! of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 3 is a view in front elevation of a device shown with a single disc; I

Fig. 9 is a modification showing three discs and cooperating mechanisms;

Fig. 10 is a front elevation of a device showing five discs and cooperating mechanisms, and

Fig. 11 is another View showing five discs and cooperating mechanisms. 5

Referring now to these drawings and particularly to Figs. 1 to 7 inclusive, which illustrate a preferred embodiment of my invention, l indicates a casing composed of vtwohalves I I within which, in accordance with my invention, is

mounted one or more discs and which, in accordance with the preferred form of my invention illustrated in Figs. 1 to '7, are mounted a pair of discs 2, 2'. As illustrated, the discs 2, 2' are mounted in circular compartments i and l, formed within the casing i and preferably are mounted upon pivots 3, 3', extending axially through the discs and supported at opposite ends in the casing. As illustrated, these pivots comprise rivet members which not only serve to provide a mounting means for the disc but also function to fasten the two parts of the casing together. A plunger 4, is mounted in the casing in tangential relationship to the discs 2, 2'. As illustrated, the casing l is provided adjacent to the periphery of the discs with a tangentiallydisposed plunger guide portion I and, as more particularly shown in Figs. 2, 5 and 6, the plunger d is mounted within said tangentially-disposed plunger-guiding portion. As illustrated, the plunger comprises a hollow pin or shaft having, at one end, a handle portion 5 and at its opposite end being provided with means for mounting a plunger disc 6. The plunger shaft 5 is provided, at its upper end, with a screw thread 5 and a spiral spring i is mounted on said shaft 5 between washers 8, 8, one of which abuts a bearing i in the casing through which the plunger extends and the other of which abuts a fixed supporting and guiding member 6' for the flexible plunger disc 6 adapted, upon retraction and release of the plunger, to move tangentially of the discs and to engage the peripheral surfaces thereof, it being understood that the flexible guiding member will be guided along the walls of the cylinder i while the plunger member 6 will extend beyond the supporting member 6' a short distance so as to engage such peripheral edges of the discs. Any suitable plunger mechanism, however, may be used which is provided with a flexible disc adapted, on its downward movement to brush the discs and when released on its upward springdriven movement, to engage the discs and cause the same to turn on their pivots 3, 3.

The casing and preferably each compartment thereof, will be provided with radially disposed windows 9, and the discs will be provided with indications it each arranged radially so that one of them will register with a radially-disposed window or opening 9.

I also provide means for causing registration of the indicating members or numbers with the windows in the casing, and for this purpose I preferably provide, adjacent to the axis of each disc, a series of depressions ll extending to intermediate flat surface portions H, these depressions being so arranged and of numerical quantity similar to the indications on a disc, and on the casing I provide cooperating members preferably comprising a raised or similar ridged portion having a series of ridges l2 extending to intermediate fiat portions l2, said ridges being adapted to fit into the depressions H in a'disc, these projections being raised above the fiat surfaces l2. Each of the ridges preferably has its highest portion near the axis and is reduced gradually in height and lowered as it approaches and meets the flat surface E2 of the casing. The depressions in the discs are similarly deeper at the axis and are reduced in depth gradually until they reach the flat surface at a relatively sharp angle. I preferably use a ridged star on the casing in cooperation with a depressed star in a disc and I find that a disc so provided will, when proper force is applied to the periphery thereof,

slide over ridges during a given number of rotations depending upon the force applied and will then cause a stoppage with the indications in registration with the casing windows. In this embodiment force is applied by the tangentiallymoving spring-plunger and in a very large percentage of turns will finally come to a stop with the depressions in the discs accurately fitting the ridges in the casing to cause registration of the indications and windows, as aforesaid. Obvious- 1y, if the indicating elements or indicia are properly positioned in relation to the stars and the stars are properly positioned in relation to the windows a true registration of the indicia with the windows may be accomplished.

Operation of the game apparatus hereinabove described will be obvious from the above, it being merely necessary to grasp the handle 5' of the plunger 5, pull it down below the periphery of the disc and then to let it go, whereupon the spring, pressing back the plunger, will cause the member 5 to move tangentially and to brush the peripheral edges of the discs in such movement so as to rotate the same.

Under certain circumstances and at certain times, it is possible that proper registration of the projecting star of one member and the depressed star in the other member will fail to register, thus producing what may be called a foul.

Under such circumstances, a shaking of the casing slightly will cause registration but I prefer to correct such failure to properly register by providing for a vibration of the casing from inside the same instead of employing a manual shaking thereof. For this purpose, I preferably provide, inside the casing a vibrating or clicking spring member comprising a flat spring 13, having a suitable clicking portion l3. Said spring is connected at one end as at id to the casing while its opposite end [5 is loose to permit a spreading a:

and clicking. This vibrator or clicking member [3, is preferably guided by a pin i6 extending within a hollow in the shaft 5 of the plunger.

The end of the plunger normally abuts against the middle i3 of the spring and, when desired,

pressure is exerted on the plunger so as to collapse the spring. When such pressure is released, the spring regains its form with a vibratory or snapping action. This clicking spring is operated in all respects similar to the conventional hand operated clicker or cricket except that the plunger presses against the spring to deform the same and permit readjustment thereof, whereupon the necessary vibration will be provided to cause registration of the disc and window as above specified.

In Fig. 8 I have shown my invention applied to a single-disc device ll. In this construction the device is, in all respects similar to that shown in Figs. 1 to '7, except that a single disc and a single plunger at one side thereof is employed and furthermore, a ten pointed star is employed instead of a six pointed star shown in Figs. 1 to 7.

In Fig. 9, I have shown my invention applied to a triple-disc device i8 having a twelve point star and in which the indicia comprises the letters of the alphabet so arranged as to enable three letter words to be formed upon operation of the plunger as hereinabove specified.

In Fig. 10, I have shown my invention applied to a five-disc device i9 having the indicia arranged similar to a card game and showing A, K, Q, J, 10, and 9, and also having a single plunger with three operating members arranged thereon two of which brush and engage pairs of discs and one of which is adapted only to operate a single disc. Otherwise the construction is similar to that shown in Figs. 1 to 7.

In Fig. 11, I have shown in another form of five-disc device 28 which is in all respects similar to the device shown in Fig. 10 except, instead of employing a single plunger shaft having three operating-members thereon, two parallel plungers are employed and are connected together by a bail ,2 I. In other'respects this device is simlar to that hereinabove shown and described in relation to Figs. 10 and 1 to 7.

Having described my invention, I claim: 7 1. Game apparatus embodying, in combination, a casing having a disc compartment, a window extending through the wall of said compartment, a rotatable disc having a smooth peripheral surface and mounted in said compartment for rotation above an axis and a plunger movable tangentially of said disc in said casing and having a flexible operating member frictionally engage able with the smooth periphery of the disc to rotate the same. l

2. Game apparatus embodying, in combination, a casing having a disc compartment, a Window extending through the wall of said compartment, a rotatable disc having a smooth peripheral surface and mounted in said compartment for 'rotation about an axis, a plunger compartment extending tangentially of said disc compartment, plunger mechanism arranged within said tangential compartment and having a flexible operating member guided by the walls of said compartment and being frictionally engageable during movement of the plunger with the smooth periphery of the disc mounted in said disc compartment, and a series of indications on said discs adapted upon rotary movement of the disc to be displayed through said window.

3. Game apparatus embodying, in combination, a casing having a disc compartment, a window extending through the wall of said compartment, a rotatable disc mounted in said compartment for rotation about an axis, a plunger compartment extending tangentially of said disc compartment, plunger mechanism arranged Within tangential compartment and having operating means engageable during movement of the plunger with the periphery of the disc mounted in said compartment, a series of indications on said discs adapted upon rotary movement of the disc to be displayed through said window, and cooperating indication-registering elements on said disc and casing, comprising a ridged star on one of the members and a similar depressed star on the other member.

HAROLD E; ROBINSON. 

